MEMBERS of the public will get the chance to try out a new way of voting later this month.

Chester City Council off icers will be demonstrating equipment being used to pilot a groundbreaking new scheme in six of the 20 wards involved in the local elections on May 1.

Chester is one of 61 councils from across the country selected by the Government to try out new methods aimed at making voting easier, quicker and more efficient - encouraging more people to take part in local elections.

Voters in Blacon Hall, Blacon Lodge, Christleton, Curzon and Westminster, Hoole All Saints and Vicars Cross will use touch-screen machines to vote instead of putting a pencil mark on a piece of paper. The initiative will build on a smaller scale electronic voting pilot carried out in Blacon Hall, Christleton and Vicars Cross last year.

The aim is to provide an easier, quicker and more efficient way of voting.

Chester is also piloting an early voting initiative where residents from all 20 wards will be able to vote using touch-screen machines at a special polling station outside the Town Hall on the Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 24-27 prior to election day.

Members of the public will be able to join students for a hands-on demonstration in the Town Hall on Tuesday, April 22.

Council officers will explain how the system will work on the day of the elections.

Chester City Council's chief executive Paul Durham said: 'The aim of this session is to help inform voters about the electronic system being piloted in Blacon Hall, Blacon Lodge, Christleton, Curzon and Westminster, Hoole All Saints and Vicars Cross.

'The event promises an interesting, informative and fun look at how modern technology is being harnessed to make voting quicker, more efficient and easier.'

Members of the public can drop into the Town Hall between 10am and noon on Tuesday for a demonstration and a chance to try out the technology. Help will also be on hand at polling stations on the day of the elections.

For more information about electronic voting, contact the city council's elections officer Christine Lawley on 01244 402336 or 01244 402412.